If you experience dry eyes, you know how irritating and uncomfortable the symptoms can be. The good news is that a plethora of treatment options is available for alleviating those symptoms. After you talk to your eye doctor for their diagnosis and treatment, consider using some of these options for what you can do to treat your dry eyes.
Artificial Tears
For most people who experience dry eyes, over-the-counter solutions may be all the treatment necessary. For mild dry eye symptoms, eye drops or artificial tears are usually enough to moisten the eyes and provide relief. Your doctor may prescribe a specific type of eye drop, though you can also obtain eye drops and artificial tears over the counter for quick relief.
Punctal Plugs
If you have more serious or stubborn dry eye symptoms, your eye doctor may recommend a more advanced treatment after determining the cause of your dry eyes. If your doctor finds that tears are leaving your eyes too quickly through your tear ducts, they may suggest implementing punctal plugs. This treatment isn’t as widespread as the use of artificial tears, so if you’re unfamiliar, this is what you should know about punctal plugs: your eye doctor fits a tiny plug into your tear ducts to prevent tears from draining too rapidly.
Medications
Your doctor may also suggest certain medications to target the cause of your dry eye symptoms. For example, some antibiotics or prescription eye drops can treat eyelid or cornea inflammation. Your doctor may also recommend tear-stimulating solutions in pill, gel, or eye drop form. Depending on the severity of your dry eye symptoms, you may require certain procedures and medications together in one treatment.
Every treatment for dry eye symptoms is different. The main thing to remember if you experience symptoms is that multiple treatments are available to help. Most importantly, you should meet with your professional eye doctor for their diagnosis. From there, they’ll be able to tell you what you can do to treat your dry eyes.
